Sir, – Like most people in this country, I have a telecoms “bundle”, which includes calls to landlines in the entire country. In recent times, I have had to contact my bank, health and home insurers, an airline, some public bodies, and a plethora of other service providers. Invariably these entities are only contactable via 0818 or 1890 numbers.
As these numbers are not deemed landline numbers included in the telecoms bundles, they incur considerable costs, depending on the length of time one has to spend navigating the numeric option menus, and thereafter listening to some awful ukulele music.
Is it possible that commercial and public bodies might offer the option of conventional landline numbers which would avoid these costs, or is it the case that they are in receipt of commission for using such numbers? – Yours, etc,
FRANK WALSH,
Coolballow,
Co Wexford.